Started in memory of Assistant Park Manager Justin Mandish, the Justin Mandish Seagrass Restoration fund collects donations and grants to support the restoration of the critically important seagrass flats found throughout the park. 

These funds will be used to fill in man-made holes and cuts in historic grass beds, repair prop scars and blow holes created by careless boaters, and to support education and outreach initiatives to reduce the ongoing damage to seagrass meadows through the Florida Keys. 

Justin Mandish served as the Maintenance Mechanic, Dive Safety Officer, and then Assistant Park Manager for John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park from 2015 until he passed away in 2021. He was an avid fisherman and paddleboarder, who loved exploring the mangrove creeks and fly fishing on the flats. He understood the importance of seagrass flats to the health of our commercial and recreational fisheries and to the health of our coral reef. 

Join us by making a donation, volunteering to write grants, or by volunteering at the park to document and restore damaged seagrass.